Most of us have more than one thing that we want.  More likely, we have so many things that it can be hard to even keep track of them.  What's more, since working towards each one requires time and effort, they can often interfere with each other. Setting priorities, then, is absolutely essential.

So, how does one prioritize?  First, write down all the goals you can think of, everything you want to have and achieve.  Next, put them into categories based on how important they are to you. Decide what is the most important, and what is the most urgent. Try to realistically evaluate which and how many goals you can actively pursue at once.

You may decide your most important goal is preparing for your dream job within a year, while your most urgent goal is paying back a creditor within two months.  A solution could involve setting microgoals of working every Saturday to earn the money you need, and training yourself for your new field Tuesday and Thursday nights.  At the end of two months, your bills are paid, you've made some initial progress toward your career, and now you can use your Saturdays for more training or for another pressing matter.

Prioritization alone won't get you there, however.  You have to put a plan together to achieve your goals.  Seeing the way to reach a goal is a big factor in staying motivated.  This is especially true when life delivers a setback.  Because of this, it's a good idea to set some smaller, micro goals.

More about micro goals...